The future is ours to see

Written By Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis

If you think the world is crazy now you should see it in 50 years time. Take a look into our cracked crystal ball into a future where India is the most powerful nation on earth.

When Leela Devi leaves her tribal home to see the world, she doesn’t expect her father’s elephant to follow her. As she battles corrupt officials, hungry poachers, fanatical leaders and supreme beings, an unlikely love story unfolds and a quiet revolution ferments.

All the theatrical magic, mischievous wit and inspired lunacy you’ve come to expect along with some mammoth surprises.

Private Show Information

What do you get?

The Company brings lighting, set, costumes, and props to your selected venue (e.g. home or office) to create a truly magical occasion for your invited audience.
There is no limit to the number of guests you can invite - as long as there's enough space for them and the performers. The Artists are Arts Laureate Jacob Rajan and talented young
musician Adam Ogle, supported by our stage manager who will ensure that all technical and production elements happen without a hiccup. The performance lasts 80 minutes and as an added bonus,
if you wish it, Jacob is happy to chat with your guests after the show.

What does it cost?

The all-inclusive fee for this wonderul and unforgettable experience is only NZ$6,500 including GST.

Cast & Crew

Jacob Rajan

Jacob Rajan

Company Director, Writer & Performer

Jacob is an Arts Foundation Laureate and founding partner of Indian Ink. He collaborated to create Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair, The Guru of Chai and Kiss the Fish and has performed them throughout New Zealand and internationally.

Jacob won “Best Actor” in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for ‘The Guru of Chai’. He has also received an accolade for acting excellence and was nominated for the Stage Award for Best Actor at the Edinburgh Fringe. Jacob has featured on New Zealand TV series (Outrageous Fortune and Shortland Street). In 2013 Jacob was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the New Year’s Honours List.

Jacob’s family originates in Kerala, Southern India. He was born in Malaysia and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four. Jacob has a degree in microbiology, a teacher’s diploma and is a graduate of Toi Whakaari – The New Zealand Drama School.

Jonathan Price

Jonathan Price

Performer

A graduate from Victoria University with a BA Hons. He was a founding member and director of Bright Orange Walls Theatre Company Jonathan has recently performed in the Capital E production An Awfully Big Adventure and devised and performed in Don Juan at Circa.

Patrick Carroll

Patrick Carroll

Performer

Patrick Carroll is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama school.Prior to his study he worked with Long Cloud Youth Theatre and travelled to London’s Globe Theatre as part of the Young Shakespeare Company with Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand. During his years at Toi he trained in Paris at L’Ecole Phillipe Gaulier.

While studying he played in Strindberg’s A Dreamplay and Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure & As You Like It. He played Thomas Klopper in Silo Theatre’s The Book of Everything in 2015/2016, and over those years also performed in The Court Theatre’s Alice and Wonderland, Bright Orange Walls’ productions of The Angry Brigade and Twelfth Night and toured the country with Indian Ink’s The Elephant Thief.

Most recently he played in Pop Up Globe’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Demetrius and The Merchant of Venice as Lorenzo. He can be seen next in TVNZ’s Kiwi playing New Zealand jockey Jimmy Cassidy.

Patrick is excited to be working again with Indian Ink to bring this frightening and fascinating historical account to the stage.

Vanessa Kumar

Vanessa Kumar

Performer

A recent graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, Vanessa’s previous roles include: Sue Lewis in The Battalion directed by Jim Moriarty (Te Rakau). Celia in As You Like It directed by Lisa Warrington. Mother, Lost boy and Pirate in Peter Pan directed by Daniel Pengelly (The Court Theatre).

Vanessa’s debut with Indian Ink was in 2015 & 2016 with her outstanding performance in The Elephant Thief.

Adam Ogle

Adam Ogle

Musician

Adam Ogle is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He has worked with Whangarei-based theatre company Company of Giants on The Owl and the Pussycat and the Whangarei Festival of Light and Art, Auckland Theatre Company on Giant Teeth, in the Young and Hungry Festival on Uncle Minotaur and with Smoke Labours Productions on Stutterpop. He has also taught guitar and mandolin at the Whangarei Celtic Summer School ‘Gaidhealtachd’ and taught and performed at the Auckland Folk Festival. He received the ‘Frank Winter Memorial Award’ awarded for his outstanding contribution as a young instrumentalist.

Justin Lewis

Justin Lewis

Company Director, Writer & Artistic Director

Justin is a founding partner of Indian Ink and collaborated with Jacob Rajan to create the company’s works: Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair, Guru of Chai and Kiss the Fish. Indian Ink’s productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and Three production of the Year Awards in New Zealand. Justin has produced numerous national and international tours. He is Deputy Chair of Q Theatre and has been heavily involved in its development from the beginning. In 2008 he received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre. Justin is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School and University of Auckland.

Jane Hakaraia

Jane Hakaraia

Lighting Designer

A designer with a degree in product design but her first and longest love is lighting for theatre. This year Jane has toured Daffodils with Bullet Heart Club, designed the set for a TV game show, lit Hikoi for Auckland Arts Festival and Eight Gigabytes for Silo Theatre and is currently working on a veggie garden for Aotea square.

Murray Edmond

Murray Edmond

Dramaturg

Murray has been dramaturg on all of Indian Ink’s productions. A poet and founder of Town and Country players (NZ), Murray has recently retired from his role as Professor of Drama at Auckland University where he headed the Drama course.

Sarah-Jane Blake

Sarah-Jane Blake

Set & Costume Design

An artist, theatre designer and when not doing that, a keen ocean voyager. Performance work includes design for many theatre, dance and live art events in the UK & NZ including: The Punch Show By Travelling Puppet Booth, How the Kiwi Bird Lost It’s Wings by Hawkins Theatre, and Trial of the Mariner by Lotos Collective. Educational work includes mentorship for the Basement Theatre’s Young and Hungry Festival 2014, and Tales of Tamaki, aRed Leap Theatre workshop in 2015.

Stephen Bain

Stephen Bain

Set & Costume Design

A theatre maker, designer and performer. Stephen trained in Architecture Acting at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and more recently Scenography. He has directed and designed many plays in NZ. In the past few years he has initiated numerous public art performances, has organised festivals and is part of the arts collective Feasting House. He has also worked with Art Galleries (Artspace and Te Tuhi) on collaborative performance projects. In 2014 he was awarded the NZ Asia Foundation Residency to Taipei.

Tim Nuttall

Tim Nuttall

Stage Manager

Since graduating from Toi Whakaari in 2011 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts Management, Tim has designed, implemented and executed some of the Capital’s most high profile and best-loved events. These include last years ICC Cricket World Cup and FIFA U20 World Cup Fanzones, the Gardens Magic concert series, the Wellington Pasifika Festival and the South East Asian Night Market. Tim regularly works as a producer, production and stage manager of theatre and film and is passionate about supporting artists to realise a creative vision. Tim is now focussed on building on his successes through his own creative production and logistics company, Nuts & Bolts, which he established in 2015.